As inspirational sports
movies about race goes, Stephen Hopkins’ Race gets the job done. It raises
questions about America’s history of racism, while at the same time, wrapping
everything up in a way that allows the audience to leave it in the past if it
wants to. This is not a movie that tries for contemporary relevance – which is
somewhat disappointing, given what is going in America right now. Yet, the
movie knows what it is, and who its audience is, and delivers exactly what it promises.
Aside from its bizarre take on Leni Riefenstahl (which I’ll get to later), Race
is a feel good, inspirational sports movie – and all that implies.

The movie focuses on a
few years in the life of Jesse Owens – but seems to compress time so that
events happen much quicker than they did in real life. When we meet Owens
(Stephan James) he is already a talented track and field athlete, leaving his
home in Cleveland, for the University of Ohio, where he will be coached by
Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis) – a one-time star athlete at the same school,
whose career is on the line, since he cannot seem to win. Owens is his ticket
to success – and he knows it. The two develop a quick bond together – Snyder helps
the already phenomenally gifted Owens get better – and Owens wins for Snyder.
For the outset of the movie, everyone has their eyes on the 1936 Olympics in Berlin
– Owens seems like shoo-in to win multiple medals.

In the few scenes where
the film is not concentrating on Owens and Snyder, it’s centered on Avery
Brundage (Jeremy Irons), a wealthy industrialist, and part of the American Olympic
committee. He clashes with Jeremiah Mahoney (William Hurt), who thinks America
should boycott the Olympics, given that they’ll be hosted by Hitler and Nazi
Germany – but Avery argues that he doesn’t care about the politics – he just
wants America to win. He travels to Germany – and doesn’t particularly likes
what he sees – but draws some assurances from Joseph Goebbels (Barnaby
Metschurat) that things will be better when the Olympics are actually going on.
At home, Owens has his ups and downs – a dalliance outside his committed relationship
that has already produced a daughter, throws him off for a little bit – but he
recovers. But then, Owens isn’t sure he should go and compete in Berlin. Wouldn’t
that mean that he silently endorses what Hitler is doing?

The movie hits on all of
these notes, but doesn’t really examine them too closely. Ultimately, the movie
almost sides with Brundage, while at the same time making him a villain, in
arguing that sports is sports – and you owe to yourself to use your gift. Yes,
the film also makes a point of showing how Owens success at the games was a humiliation
for Hitler and the Nazis – but any victory seems rather hollow given what we
know would happen next.

Then there is the film’s
bizarre presentation of Leni Riefenstahl – played, quite well, by the Dutch Carice
Van Houten, best known for audiences here from Game of Thrones, but who should
be known more for Paul Verhoeven’s masterful Black Book – a morally complex,
and ridiculously entertaining WWII thriller. For those who don’t know,
Riefenstahl was the amazingly talented German filmmaker, who made Hitler’s
propaganda films for him – most famously Triumph of the Will (1935), and then
Olympia (1938). The films are both brilliant on a technical level – Olympia especially,
which contains some remarkable footage of Owens. Yet, they also undeniably espouse
the Nazi viewpoint, and whitewash Hitler and everything he stood for.
Riefenstahl was unrepentant for the rest of her life – as seen in the wonderful
documentary The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl (1994) (which
unfortunately I have been unable to track down – I saw it on VHS when I was in high
school, and not since) – she offers some rather unconvincing defense of her
work, claiming she was never a member of the Nazi party, there is no mention of
Anti-Semitism in her films, and she didn’t know what Hitler’s plans are – she was
just a young artist, working in a vacuum. This doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny
– but Race pretty much takes her at her word. If there is a hero in Race aside
from Owens, its Riefenstahl – who stands up for her art, and even, at one
point, defies Goebbels, in order to get footage of Owens winning once again. I
understand a little whitewashing is to be expected in a film – but Race really
goes too far with Riefenstahl.

Overall
though, I rather liked Race. What can I say – I’m a sucker for the inspiration
sports movie, and Race is that. The music swells, Owens runs, and it’s a thing
of beauty. Stephan James acquits himself nicely as Owens – making the icon
human, and Sudeikis (unsurprisingly) is adept at drama in the of Snyder. The
film probably too long – it’s run over two hours – but I wasn’t bored by it
(although, your mileage may vary, depending on your thoughts on the genre).
Race doesn’t reinvent anything hear – and I find its depiction of Riefenstahl
laughable – but it delivers pretty much exactly what you expect it will.

About Me

I am an accountant, living in Brantford, ON - and although I am married and have beautiful daughter, I still find time to watch a lot of movies. This blog is mostly reviews of new movies - with other musing thrown in as well.